If you love the creamy, crispy goodness of classic crab rangoons, you're going to be obsessed with these crab rangoon egg rolls! They've got everything you love about the popular appetizer-savory crab, rich cream cheese, and a hint of garlic and green onion-wrapped up in crunchy eggroll wrapper.
The best part? They're surprisingly easy to make at home.
Growing up, it was a treat when our family would go to our favorite Chinese restaurant called Wang's. My dad would always get the "pupu platter," which of course would make my sister and I giggle because the name of it sounded so silly to us.
The assortment of "pupus," or appetizers, usually included crab rangoon, egg rolls, Chinese spare ribs, and other bite-size snacks. It was a genius way to try a little bit of everything.
Nowadays, whenever my family goes out for Chinese food, I'm always tempted to get the egg rolls or the crab rangoon. So, I decided to marry my two favorite Chinese appetizers into one fun appetizer.
Instead of making traditional rangoon shapes using wonton wrappers, I fill egg roll wrappers with the creamy crab filling. The result: More of what I love about crab rangoon in every bite--that amazing filling.
Paired with a sweet chili dipping sauce, they're a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for watching the big game, a holiday party, or whenever you're craving something crispy and indulgent.
Since I live near the ocean and have access to amazing seafood, I like to use fresh crabmeat instead of "crab with a k" as our family likes to call it. Also known as imitation crab, or surimi, it's what you'd typically find in restaurant crab rangoon. Feel free to use either one for your egg rolls.
Want to make your own pupu platter? Many of my favorite appetizers and Asian-inspired recipes will be perfect. Along with these egg rolls, add a combination of my sweet and sour spare ribs, poke nachos with ahi tuna, and oven fried onion rings. Now, let's get to the reason why you're here. Let's make those egg rolls!
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Ingredients
Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this recipe:
- cream cheese
- crab meat
- Worcestershire sauce
- low-sodium soy sauce
- dark sesame oil
- garlic powder
- green onions
- egg roll wrappers
- vegetable oil for frying
- sweet chili sauce
(See printable recipe card for quantities.)
Instructions
Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!
- First, pulse the cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic powder and pulse until combined.
- Then, transfer the cream cheese mixture to a medium bowl. Fold in the crab meat and all but enough green onions for garnish.
- Next, place one egg roll wrapper on a clean work surface on turn until it's a diamond shape with the points facing up and down. Working one at a time spoon about ¼ cup of the filling into the center of each wrapper. Bring the bottom point up and over the filling, about halfway in the center of the wrapper covering the filling completely. Fold each point on the side into the center. Dip your fingertips in water and brush lightly on the top corner. Roll the egg roll up tightly until it forms a tight log. Set aside and cover with a damp paper towel while filling the remaining egg rolls.
- Finally, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 2 inches in a Dutch oven and heat to 375°F. Fry the egg rolls, 2 to 3 at a time, until golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Remove to a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet to drain. Arrange the egg rolls on a platter and sprinkle with the remaining green onions. Serve with sweet chili sauce.
Hint: When I fried the egg rolls, they wouldn't stay once I flipped them over. So, to get them browned on both sides, I pressed the egg rolls under the hot oil with a spider strainer (or tongs work too).
Substitutions
Wondering what you can swap out for certain ingredients? Here are some thoughts:
- Crab meat - Because I live right on the water, and local seafood is easy to get I prefer to use fresh blue crab. Feel free to substitute imitation crab meat "krab" instead. It's what a lot of Chinese restaurants use anyway.
- Sweet chili sauce - Instead of sweet chili sauce, serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Duck sauce or sweet and sour sauce are excellent options.
- Low-sodium soy sauce - If you only have regular soy sauce, that's okay. Your egg rolls will just be a little on the saltier side.
- Garlic powder - You can also use onion powder in the creamy filling if you're out of garlic powder.
Variations
Check out these additional ways to change up this recipe:
- Spicy - Add a little kick to the cream cheese filling by stirring in some sriracha.
- Traditional Crab Rangoon - To make traditional crab rangoon, use wonton wrappers instead of egg roll wrappers and pull the points upwards to create a diamond shape.
- Crab Rangoon Dip with Wonton Chips - Wanna know a secret? The filling is essentially crab dip. Make deconstructed crab rangoon by heating up the filling and frying wonton wrappers in hot oil to make wonton chips.
Equipment
Here's the equipment you'll need for this delicious appetizer recipe:
- measuring spoons
- chef's knife
- food processor
- medium bowl
- rubber spatula
- Dutch oven or heavy stock pot
- candy thermometer
- wire rack
- strainer or spider
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a preheated oven at 300°F until warmed through.
This recipe doesn't freeze well.
Tasty Tip
Confused about how to fold the your egg rolls? Check out the egg roll wrapper package. It'll have step-by-step illustrations showing you how to do it.
Frequently asked questions
Traditional crab rangoon filling is made of cream cheese, imitation crab, garlic powder, and other seasonings.
The filling is the main difference. Wontons can be filled with a variety of meats and vegetables. Rangoon are also fried while wontons can be deep-fried, pan-fried, or steamed.
It depends. A lot of restaurants use imitation crab, but you can find some that use fresh crab.
It isn't. It's made from a white fish paste that's pressed into a long stick shape.
The main difference between the two is that wrappers of egg rolls and spring rolls are different. Egg rolls have a thicker wrapper that's made with a dough that contains egg. Once fried, you'll get a super crispy, blistered texture. Spring rolls have a thinner, more delicate wrapper made from a flour and water dough.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with these crispy egg rolls:
🍽Get the recipe
Easy Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce
Equipment
- measuring spoons
- chef's knife
- food processor
- medium bowl
- rubber spatula
- Dutch oven
- candy thermometer
- wire rack
- strainer or spider
Ingredients
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ pound fresh crab meat
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 12 egg roll wrappers
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Sweet chili sauce
Instructions
- Pulse the cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic powder and pulse until combined.
- Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a medium bowl. Add the crab meat and most of the green onions, saving some for garnish. Fold until the mixture is combined.
- Place one egg roll wrapper on a clean work surface and turn the wrapper until it's ina diamond shape with the points facing up and down. Spoon about ¼ cup of the filling into the center of the egg roll wrapper.
- Bring the bottom point up and over the filling, about halfway in the center of the wrapper covering the filling completely. Fold each point on each side into the center overlapping the wrapper.
- Dip your fingertips in a small amount of water and brush lightly on the top corner of the wrapper. Roll the egg roll up tightly until it forms a tight log. Set aside and cover with a damp paper towel while filling the remaining egg rolls.
- Pour the oil to a depth of 2 inches in a Dutch oven and heat to 375°F. Fry the egg rolls, 2 to 3 at a time, until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes.
- Remove to a wire rack to drain any excess oil. Arrange the egg rolls on a platter and sprinkle with the remaining green onions. Serve warm with sweet chili sauce.
Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:
- Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
- When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
- I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
- When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Food safety
Finally, don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe.
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat or seafood.
- Wash your hands after touching raw meat or seafood.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
Cathy says
How much sesame oil. Did I miss that in the actual recipe?
AshleyFreeman says
Hi Cathy! Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention! It's 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil. I've updated the recipe card now so we should be good to go.
Vickie says
Can’t wait to make these - especially more filling in egg roll wraps than wonton. Has any one tried to air-fry these rolls?
AshleyFreeman says
You're right--and the filling is the best part! I haven't tried air-frying, but I bet it would work. I'd recommend preheating the air fryer basket when the air fryer is heating, coating the pan with spray or oil, then adding the egg rolls and coating with non-stick spray. (My favorite is avocado oil.) I'd flip them halfway through too.
Cristina says
These crab rangoon egg rolls are dangerously delicious! The crispy shell with that creamy filling is pure magic. Dipped in sweet chili sauce? Perfection!
AshleyFreeman says
Thanks so much! I couldn't agree more!
Swathi says
Easy crab rangoon egg rolls are so yummy and perfect my family enjoyed it. I am going to make it again.
AshleyFreeman says
Yay! I'm so glad to hear that!
Andrea says
Made these for a weekend and was surprised how easy they were—crispy outside, creamy inside, and the sweet chili sauce pulled it all together perfectly.
AshleyFreeman says
Yay! Yes, that sauce is the perfect pair!
Liz says
Super yummy! And the sauce pairs perfectly with these egg rolls!
AshleyFreeman says
Thanks so much Liz! Glad they were a hit!
Paula says
These crab rangoon egg rolls were incredible all on their own but that homemade chili sauce really took them to the next level OMG delish! I'll be making both again.
AshleyFreeman says
Awesome! So glad you liked them!